DC Comics flies west, relocating from New York City to Burbank

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The staff trying to come up with the next Superman is getting some sunnier environs while doing so: the legendary DC Comics — home to Batman, the Justice League and Wonder Woman — is moving from its longtime home of New York City to Burbank, according to a report from Newsarama confirmed by KPCC.

DC Entertainment president Diane Nelson wrote to staff that, while the company's been split between East Coast and West Coast offices, they're planning to move everyone out west.

While the digital side of the company, as well as administrative staff, were already out here beginning in 2009, the publishing side with DC editorial remained in New York, which is also home to their longtime rivals, Marvel.

"I can confirm that plans are in the works to centralize DCE’s operations in 2015," Nelson wrote in her letter to staff.

Nelson said the executive team would be in New York next week to have meetings with staff about the move. While this could mean more job opportunities for the L.A. area, current staff is being offered the chance to make the move.

"Everyone on the New York staff will be offered an opportunity to join their Burbank colleagues," Nelson wrote. She also noted, "The move is not imminent and we will have more than a year to work with the entire company on a smooth transition for all of us, personally and professionally."

The Burbank offices were aimed previously at strengthening the connection between DC and its parent company, Warner Bros., the ones who bankroll not just those comics but also the big media franchises that come out of them. So when that "Batman vs. Superman" movie comes out (yes, that is a real thing that is happening), there's going to be an increasing West Coast influence.

DC Comics declined to disclose how many employees work at either office, but the company is listed on LinkedIn as having between 201 and 500 employees. The company also uses numerous freelancers in a variety of locations as creative staff.

As I hope you know, I and the entire DCE exec team work hard to offer transparency about as much of our business plans and results as we possibly and responsibly can. In an effort to continue to do that where possible and to ensure you are hearing news from us, rather than a third party, I am proactively reaching out to you this afternoon to share news about our business.

I can confirm that plans are in the works to centralize DCE’s operations in 2015. Next week, the Exec Team will be in New York for a series of meetings to walk everyone through the plans to relocate the New York operations to Burbank. The move is not imminent and we will have more than a year to work with the entire company on a smooth transition for all of us, personally and professionally.

Everyone on the New York staff will be offered an opportunity to join their Burbank colleagues and those details will be shared with you individually, comprehensively and thoughtfully next week. Meeting notifications will be sent tomorrow to ensure the roll out of this information and how it affects the company and you personally.

We know this will be a big change for people and we will work diligently to make this as smooth and seamless a transition as possible.

Best,
Diane

Are you a fan of DC Comics? What do you think of this move, and do you think it will affect the sensibility of the creations? Let us know in the comments or on our Facebook page.

Previously in Without A Net

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